The use of shipping containers is a very common practice. For shipping purposes, these containers are increasingly being used for displaying goods for sale within the containers. After using these containers, they are often stacked on top of each other in a storage place waiting to be crushed upon or after collection for recycling or taken to a landfill. Often, a knife or blade is used to cut the container to dissect the box into pieces to save storage room. Sometimes, the containers are cut and a portion of the container removed such that the container also operates as a display device while goods are still in the container. These practices suffer from many drawbacks including the problems that they are often time consuming, may result in damage to the goods through inadvertent contact with the knife during cutting, as well as dangerous to the individual cutting the box into pieces. The pieces of the container resulting from the cutting may be of various sizes and have irregular shapes and sharp edges, which make the subsequent sorting, stacking, wrapping, or fastening for storage or recycling inconvenient and inefficient. Additionally, cutting a portion of the container using a knife often leads to an unappealing visual display of the product inside the container.
Accordingly, one aspect of the container described herein provides a shipping container apparatus for goods which is convertible to a flattened single panel without the need of a tool, such as a knife or blade. In another aspect of the container described herein, a structurally sound shipping container apparatus for goods is provided wherein the container has a lid which is detachably secured to a tray. Advantageously, the lid is easily removable and flattenable for purposes of storing or recycling the lid material.
These and other aspect, objects, and features of the container described herein will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims and drawings.